is he lonely? scared? PLEASE HELP!

hey guys
the barking is gettting much much worse. bentley does it when walk out of the room now. for 2 mintues or so and the pauses for a bit and then starts back. it can last from 10 minutes to 30 and then i can't take it after that. i'm not so sure the ignoring him is working. he does this when he sdoesn't want to be left alone to go to sleep at night and he does it when he wakes up. he gets up at 6am. so i ignore him and after about 15 minutes (like this morning) he stops. then about 30 or 45 minutes later he does it again (but for 10 minutes or so, not as long as the first time) and then another 20 minutes or so will pass and then i get up and play with him and let him watch me get ready and what not. i know he's barking when i'm gone too. this is not normal barking, that i can handle and expect, but this is like screaming nearly! and when i do come to him he looks terrified, his eyes are all big and he doesn't want a treat or anything, he just want to be petted. i don't know what to do b'c i've been ignoring him and not really telling him NO (so he doesn't think someone will come everytime he barks). it's getting BAD. if he's finally stopped i don't go back into the living room b'c he'll start again, i mean, that's not how it's supposed to be i don't want to give him away, he's only been with me a week. he's 3 months and one wk and this saturday he gets his final parvo shot and then i'll be taking him for walks and to the local dog park, but i'm not sure that any of that will change any of these barking problems. how do i fix this?!! PLEASE HELP!!

 

Hmm.. I really don't know what to suggest because I haven't had any experience with this.

I wonder if it's because he hasn't fully adjusted yet to his new environment. If he's only been there a week, maybe that's his way of coping until he's comfortable there? Being taken away from your littermates and mother is very difficult for a puppy. They are suddenly all alone and that's quite a change for them.

I'm sure it's hard and very annoying, but, I would give him more time to get used to things and hopefully his barking will subside.

 

i spoke with my vet, she asked me how attached to him i am... that's no good! please give me any advice and i'll keep you posted. she suggested more excerise. that can't hurt certainly, but do you guys think it'll calm him? the worst is when he wakes up in the night and then every morning. i'm thinking of letting him sleep with the light on, could that make him feel better. i don't want him to have seperation anxiety, that would be terrible!

 

What kind of dog do you have? I have a 5 month old Chihuahua and he does the same exact thing, it's not so much barking as it is crying or even screaming. Sometimes it's so bad he tricks me into thinking there's something wrong with him with the desperate screams so I run back into the room only to see he wants attention. As sad and cute as he looks I have to resist giving into his whining or it'll only get worse. I've had him with me for about 2 months now and sadly it hasn't entirely subsided. He has gotten a lot better, but he still cries whenever he hears or sees me leave the room. To solve this somewhat I keep a blanket over his crate while I am gone so he can't actually see me leave, he usually just ends up taking a nap. Aside from being sad to see you leave, do remember puppies have very small bladders, is he waking up at 6am because he needs to go potty? They can't hold it very long, I take mine out at 11 before I go to bed and around 4am and then again whenever I wake up, it's the first thing I do.

I haven't found any quick fixes to stop my pup from crying, I just make sure he is as comfortable as he can be. He has endless abouts of toys, chew toys, bones, stuffed animals, balls, food, water, blankets & dog treats to keep him busy and happy while I'm away A week isn't very long, so just give him time to understand that you're not abandoning him and that he's safe in his new home.

 

Keep in mind that your puppy is going through a difficult transition stage right now, and will take a good couple of weeks for him to become entirely comfortable with his new surroundings. Everything he was used to before he came to your home is now all of a sudden gone and drastically different, leading to a scared and confused puppy! The barking/screaming/crying/whining/etc. is all NORMAL, and will indeed take a while to cease, or at least get better! You've only had him for one single week, so don't expect things to get better real soon. I hate to say that b/c it is a little discouraging, but I don't want to mislead you with false expectations. It's hard, but you'll have to practice some tough love with him (not giving in when he barks), and an extra dose of patience and tolerance to put up with the seemingly endless barking!

I realize that there are times when he needs to be confined since you can't watch him (even during times that you are home), but when you are home, and it's feasible for him to hang around you, simply tether him to you. Doing this allows him to be near you, but not able to wonder off and get into mischief.

Tips when leaving him alone:

-Leave a TV or radio on in the room he is in.

-Leave a few of his toys and blankets (and a crate if you have one) in the room with him.

-Strategically stuff a Kong so it takes him a while to "unpack" it while he is alone.

-Leave safe chews and bones for him.

-If you're going to confine him during a time in which you're actually leaving your home for some time, try your hardest to exercise him right before leaving. (Lots of exercise in general is good for him as well!)

I know it's difficult, but believe me, it will get better with time, just stick with it!!! The puppy stage is not exactly easy, and often the time when people just want to throw in the towel and give up, but the stage doesn't last forever!!! You CAN, and WILL get through it...it's worth it!

 

Great advice MyBaby! I forgot about the idea of leaving the TV or radio on for them.. Hubby and I always leave the radio on for the girls if we have to leave them for a while. I've always hated the thought of them being in a silent house.

 

I'm with you PooGirl, even though Mickey & Tigger have each other, I hate the thought of them being in complete silence while I'm gone! Therefore, I always leave the TV on in the family room or kitchen so they can have a little background noise when they're alone in the house! :y_the_best:

 

how's ur pup doing????????????????????

how's ur pup doing???????? Better?? i hope so.


i'm by no means the expert...but have u tried spraying ur pup with water when he barks? My obedience trainer told me putting a VERY small amount of lime in the water will sting their eyes and make them want to stop what they're doing wrong. I've NEVER tried it with the lime, but i have with a plain spray bottle. Works on casper. But he never barks more than 5 mins.

I personallly never heard of a pup being soooo scared for more than a week. i feel ur pain tho. have u tried leaving a really, really good toy in the crate?? how about making it EXTRA comfortable somehow?

keep us updated. i hope things turn out ok.

 

another tip

hey i just thought of some advice that i received when i got my first puppy 2 yrs ago and thought i'd pass it on. ur dog is very segregated. he's in the laundry room and if ur laundry room is anything like my laundry room, he can't see you except for an odd second that u walk by. and, if its like my laundry room, its not the most comfortable room in the house.
i received some advice that the dogs crate should be in the most 'lived' in room in the house so that they feel they're apart of the family even though they're in their crate. maybe you should try to put ur brand new puppy in the best room in the house and slowly move hte crate to the laundry room if you're determined to put the pup there.

my two new puppies are in my computer room (i've had them for about two weeks) and its a busy room. htey cried the first night and have been good since. they only cry if they want out to go potty (which i like, cuz they're understanding not to go potty in their home)...

anyways, hope things are going well still. keep us updated

 

wow! thanks everyone!!!

i exercised him first thing this morning with a good walk and hes been quiet all day!!! its unbelievable! so i did it again this afternoon and will tonight. of course that posed a new little problem hee hee! hes stubborn, he doesnt want to walk on the leash. i have to trick him! i have to have him on the leash and then walk away unitl he runs to me and then usually hell keep running but then after a bit he gets stubborn again. you win some you loose some! ha! but if you have any advice on this lease do share. but tempting him with treats isnt working all that well...

thanks again for the encouragement and advice!

 

That's fantastic! Puppies do have a lot of energy that needs to be used up in some sort of exercise several times daily! A bored dog who has not been properly exercised leads to behavioral problems, one of which is excessive barking! Keep up with the exercise, and continue to do so throughout his life! :y_the_best:

Regarding the walking issues, check out this thread, and see if any of the ideas help you out:

http://www.auspet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3344

Keep in mind though that some dogs take a while to really become adjusted to walking on a leash! Therefore, a lot of patience, persistence, positive verbal and physical praise, along with lots of practice is necessary!